Many thanks all for the suggestions. Let's just keep an open mind for now, with the confidence that a suitable name will emerge in due time.

FilmAt11 wrote:

I like the expander! Twist-to-expand mechanism?

Thank you for your compliments and your suggestions. The expander part inside the fork will require a tool, but the top cap is entirely tool-less. We hope to find out how well it works with an upcoming prototype.

hasbeen wrote:

name it after something from Speci so you can get some free press when Mikey sues you.

I get the tongue in cheek. Who would want to evoke such legal action? It's a waste of valuable time and resources which could otherwise be spent on riding. Besides, press coverage can be arranged through other methods.

dereksmalls wrote:

How much will the expander weigh Rico?

The unit, that acts as a fork steerer expander mechanism, top cap and 5mm spacer on top of a stem, should weigh about 15 grams. How much does your current setup weigh?

_________________“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

Oh, Tune Gum gum, how can you use that as reference? I have one and honestly, i would not recommend it to anyone.

My question for Wert would be about the lower stack stem designs.I might be wrong here, but is it not so that a longer stack stem will be more stiff/ rigid?I use a Rotor S3X among others, great stem (also low stack) but i always like to have a stem that is higher than the ordinary 40mm versions.Why no 45mm stack? To heavy or?

Is it even possible for these light weight stems to compete with more heavy alu stems?

@dadoflam08: Howzit going, mate? Thanks for your interest. There's a distinct lack of updates since I thought I'd spare everyone the nuisance of not getting production going yet. Having tried to come to an agreement with various manufacturers in the past months, being let down by each one and still coming up empty-handed is nothing to write home about.

And yes, it's true what weeracerweenie said. And he is the first official Wert client. We're in the process with a long time CNC partner of prototyping the revised seat clamp, road hubs, a headset expander. Unfortunately, this firm doesn't do production. The plan was to have the stem on the market already. Hopefully, the manufacturing gods will grant Wert a good omen soon.

wheelsONfire wrote:

My question for Wert would be about the lower stack stem designs.I might be wrong here, but is it not so that a longer stack stem will be more stiff/ rigid?

Let me refer to the Fair Wheel Bikes' 2014 Stem Review. The aluminum stem with the least deflection is a Thomson Elite X4 and has a specified stack height of 40.64mm, while a Thomson Elite X2, which wasn't featured in the test, has an even lower specified stack height of 36.07mm. Many stems typically have a similar or greater stack height. My reference stem is a Thomson's Elite X4 in 130mm, which I rode in the past years with great enjoyment. All my lighter previous stems weren't as stiff, even with a taller stack height, and with stems I prefer stiffness over weight.

Stiffness and durability aren't necessarily correlated, although a lighter stem is typically also less stiff due to its design limitations. My aim with the Straight Shooter was to design a stem within the stiffness range of a Thomson but at half the weight while also passing EN14781 for safety and durability. We still don't have the final pre-production prototype yet so stiffness is only indicative. Nevertheless, it seems our goal are attained with the Wert Straight Shooter stem.

wheelsONfire wrote:

I use a Rotor S3X among others, great stem (also low stack) but i always like to have a stem that is higher than the ordinary 40mm versions.Why no 45mm stack? To heavy or?

Stack height of a hair under 38mm was a result of the design, and being lighter than a 45mm stack height is a matter of volume. The transition between the barrel and steerer clamp area dictated its given stack height.

On a full carbon steerer however, it's recommended to keep a few mm extra length above the stem to favor a slightly stiffer interface and, more importantly, to spread the stress a stem exerts on a steerer over a larger surface area. In addition, this provides added safety against steerer cracks to avert potential catastrophic failure.

wheelsONfire wrote:

Is it even possible for these light weight stems to compete with more heavy alu stems?

Let's have Wert clients be the judge of that. First things first: getting these stems in production and meeting customer demand.

We'll post photos as soon as the expander proto's are done.

_________________“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

Thank you for asking. To simplify machining, some minor design changes had to be implemented for the handlebar clamp area. It looks slightly different (better, if you ask me) yet weight remains unaffected. Currently, the wait is for specialty production tooling, followed by the final fatigue testing of soon to be made pre-production samples. After that, production stems should be in stock in a matter of weeks, accompanied by a few other parts.

Wert Cycling still lacks a fitting visual logo, which affects graphics, packaging and the nearly finished website, therefore making this a priority. This also influences possible Wert videos, apparel, merchandise, etc.

There is only one chance to get things right the first time around.

_________________“I always find it amazing that a material can actually sell a product when it’s really the engineering that creates and dictates how well that material will behave or perform.” — Chuck Teixeira

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